Mount Graham is a hulking mass of rock and forest rising from Arizona's desert floor more than a mile and a half into an infinite sky. The Western Apache call it Dził nchaa si'an, which roughly translates to "big mountain sitting there."
Apache deities known as gaan dwell on the 10,720-foot summit, overseeing territory that has been holy to the Apache for as long as they can remember.
In October 1990, despite repeated objections from local Apache tribes, the United States Forest Service-a federal agency that for many Apaches represents genocidal oppressors-started clearcutting an eight-acre site on Mount Graham's summit, destroying part of a pristine alpine forest that was a rare environmental relic from the last Ice Age. That's when San Carlos Apache tribal member Wendsler Nosie Sr. decided it was time to fight-and not just the Western way with meetings and lawsuits, but the Apache way.
He started to run.
Mount Graham had become a center of controversy in the 1980s when it caught the eye of the Vatican. As far back as the late 1700s, the Catholic Church had conducted astronomical research via telescope from an observatory at the Vatican to verify the holy calendar. In the 1930s, the facility was relocated outside Rome, but by the early 1980s, light pollution was impeding visibility. Jesuit astronomers dispatched by Pope John Paul II to observe the heavens decided that they wanted Dził nchaa si'an, with its dark skies and mild desert climate, to be their perch for a new telescope. Land couldn't be sacred, they said. Never mind the gaan.
This story is from the Issue 05, 2022 edition of Runner's World US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Issue 05, 2022 edition of Runner's World US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
At 9 Years Old, He Fled War in Sudan. NOW HE'S MAKING HISTORY.
Dominic Lobalu is one of the top middle-distance runners on the planet. How he went from refugee limbo to the Olympic Games.
SHE HAS NO COACH, NO TRAINING PLAN, AND SEEMINGLY NO LIMITS
INSIDE THE CANDY-CHOMPING, PAIN-FUELED, INFECTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC WORLD OF COURTNEY DAUWALTER
BEST NEW SHOES YOU CAN BUY NOW
Anta. Rabbit. Nnormal. Mount to Coast. There are so many new running shoe companies that you may have trouble determining which, if any, might be right for you. That's where our wear-test team comes in. More than 200 runners logged thousands of miles in 74 different models of shoes-from not only new companies but also those established decades ago― to help find out how each performs best. Here are the trainers, racers, and trail shoes that stood out.
He Was One of the Best Ultrarunners in the World. THEN RUSSIA INVADED UKRAINE
Before his deployment to the frontlines, multitime Ukrainian champion Andrii Tkachuk had never run better. Would he race again?
HOW TO FIND CREATE YOUR PACES
IT WAS A hot summer afternoon on Cold Soil Road, and I had just finished the \"First Speed Run,\" a guided run in the Nike Run Club app.
COULD YOU TEACH YOUR CAT TO RUN?
**EYE OF THE TIGER' was written for you, Fiona!\" I cry, pointing at our one-eyed, 4-year-old black cat resting on our carpet. Hearing her name, she rolls onto her back, offering her stomach for a belly rub. But this is no time for pampering. I need to tell her my master plan.
RUN RIGHT PAST IMPOSTOR SYNDROME
GROWING UP, I played basketball, softball, and lacrosse, even dabbled in fencing, but always stayed away from running. Other kids were faster than me, so I left running to them. When I moved to New York in my early 30s, I discovered the joy of a 5K, and started to lace up regularly.
WHICH RUNNING GEAR IS-AND ISN'T-WORTH YOUR MONEY
RUNNING, AT ITS Core, is a relatively low-gear sport, but people love to bemoan that it's increasingly expensive. I agree-paying $120 for a long-sleeve T-shirt or shelling out hundreds for compression boots seems bonkers to me.
STOP TRYING TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY PIN. IT'S PERFECT AS IS.
DURING THE PARIS Olympics, Brodie Kane, a podcaster from New Zealand, posted a video to Instagram, railing against safety pins. The post garnered more than 11,000 likes and 750 comments.
WHY RACING A 5K FEELS MENTALLY MORE CHALLENGING THAN A HALF MARATHON
STANDING ON THE starting line of any race-but especially when I'm vying for a faster finish time-I feel a twinge of anxiety pop up, whispering worries in my ear that something might go wrong. For example, I'll miss my goal and all the hard work of training will have been for nothing. Or I'll end up slogging through the miles and regretting every step. Or worse, I'll find myself injured and sidelined.